report cardshttp://www.skinet.com/skiing/taxonomy/term/9796/%252Ffeed
enHand of Momhttp://www.skinet.com/skiing/ticket-operations/2005/03/hand-of-mom?lnk=rss&loc=report-cards
<p>Sherri Cater doesn't look forward to report card time. It's not that the ticket operations manager at Mountain High, Calif., is worried about her grades. Rather, she knows that sullen teenagers will soon be walking up to the ticket counter asking why their passes suddenly don't work at Mountain High's automatic lift gates. The resort, located about 90 minutes from Los Angeles, uses credit card-like electronic lift tickets that contain computer chips. You can buy anything from a single lift ride to a full season pass and put it on a card. When you approach a lift, a scanner automatically reads your pass, flashes your photo on a screen in the lift maze and opens the control gates. "A lot of parents buy passes based on their kids maintaining a certain grade level," Carter explains. When report cards hit home, she starts getting calls from parents-usually mothers-who deactivate cards for offspring who aren't making the grade. "A teenager will walk up and say, 'My pass is broken.' And I'm like, 'Hey, I know that. Your mother shut it off. You better call home.'" The offenders tend to fall into three groups: "mostly boys, mostly young teens and almost always boarders."<BR /><BR />NOVEMBER 2004</p><P></p><P></p>
http://www.skinet.com/skiing/ticket-operations/2005/03/hand-of-mom#commentslift ticketparentsphotographerreport cardsskiing8534http://www.skinet.com/skiing/files/skinetimages/skimag/content/images/nov04/fallline/SKI1104flzt.jpg42637Fall Line 1104http://www.skinet.com/skiing/Fall Line<p>Sherri Cater doesn't look forward to report card time. It's not that the ticket operations manager at Mountain High, Calif., is worried about her grades. Rather, she knows that sullen teenagers will soon be walking up to the ticket counter asking why their passes suddenly don't work at Mountain High's automatic lift gates. The resort, located about 90 minutes from Los Angeles, uses credit card-like electronic lift tickets that contain computer chips. You can buy anything from a single lift ride to a full season pass and put it on a card. When you approach a lift, a scanner automatically reads your pass, flashes your photo on a screen in the lift maze and opens the control gates. "A lot of parents buy passes based on their kids maintaining a certain grade level," Carter explains. When report cards hit home, she starts getting calls from parents-usually mothers-who deactivate cards for offspring who aren't making the grade. "A teenager will walk up and say, 'My pass is broken.' And I'm like, 'Hey, I know that. Your mother shut it off. You better call home.'" The offenders tend to fall into three groups: "mostly boys, mostly young teens and almost always boarders."<BR /><BR />NOVEMBER 2004</p><P></p><P></p>
articleThu, 17 Mar 2005 09:05:00 +0000SkiNet Editor8534 at http://www.skinet.com/skiingFamily Treasureshttp://www.skinet.com/skiing/resorts/rockies/wyoming/2004/02/family-treasures?lnk=rss&loc=report-cards
<p>Every time I go back to New York City to visit my folks, it seems that they're in the process of clearing out another corner of the basement. The parents of three grown kids, they're eager to get rid of whatever junk still remains from when the whole family lived at home.<BR /><BR />The scene is usually mayhem, with piles everywhere; I've been handed everything from boxes of report cards and teacher evaluations from the third grade to my old cheerleading uniform and pompoms. Even though looking through these old, forgotten items always tugs at fond childhood memories, when the time comes to keep or pitch, deciding is usually easy.<BR /><BR />But on my most recent visit home, I noticed a small gift box, yellowed and worn, sitting atop a bag of old clothes and blankets. My mom said it was just a pile of useless stuff that she was donating to the local thrift shop. For some reason, I was drawn to the little gift box. When I opened it, I was surprised to find antique ski patches that my parents had collected from places like Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen and Jackson Hole—exotic, wild frontier towns to an East Coast kid decades earlier. The patches, 25 to 30 years old and still sealed in their original packaging, were beautiful in every way, from their sense of history to their design to their muted colors.<BR /><BR />Glad to rescue these treasures, I realized how special it is to hold on to a small piece of my family's skiing history. I also realized we don't usually pass down old ski items, as we would a silver serving platter or an antique sideboard. But we should. Skiing has been a part of my family for many years, starting when my parents were in their 30s and began taking night lessons at Stonypoint, a two-chair ski area in upstate New York, a few hours away from their home in Brooklyn. They left my two older brothers (I wasn't born yet) with the grandparents and stole away with friends for burgers and some quick runs. "We only had a few hours before we had to head back home, my dad says. </p><P>My parents were quickly hooked and started taking family ski trips. The scene was classic: They'd load up the kids, the dog and some secondhand gear in the station wagon and chug up to the hills. Mount Snow, Vt., was their favorite trip. </p><P>By the time I came along and was ready to ski, eight or so years down the road, my family had started skiing in the West. I have lots of memories from that time. One of my favorite, most vivid ones is from Steamboat Springs, Colo., when I was 7 or 8. My parents enrolled me in all-day ski school, and on this occasion of being set free from their supervision for the first time, I remember waving goodbye with no fear. And as I rode up to the top of the mountain, I thought I had reached the sky.</p><P>This all came back to me when I found the patches in the basement, and I suddenly became aware that I hadn't thought much about my ski roots or considered what an important part of my family history they are. I felt connected, but also a bit sad as I wondered where all my equipment and clothes and ski knickknacks had gone over the years. Whatever happened to my favorite goggles (rumor has it that I always wore them in the house) or the fluffy white muff that I used to warm my hands?</p><P>I know some things were passed on to younger relatives, but a lot of stuff undoubtedly hit the trash. My family does have some early photographs and some old home videos of my brothers and me skiing at Jackson Hole on our first big Western trip, but in later years, even photos became rare.</p><P>I think this is common. As with most sports, in skiing you usually replace your equipment, or at least a piece of it, every few years. And space limitations mean there's only so much you can hold on to and store away. I can't tell you how many times I've been to garage sales and seen outdated ski equipment for sale. Just this past weekend, I dropped some donations off at Goodwill, and stacked in the corner of the receiving area were dozens of pairs of old skiss. </p><P>Where were they going? Where had they been? What stories of families skiing and kids growing up on the slopes could they tell?</p><P>I'm not much of a collector, so I'd be the last to suggest keeping every bit of ski gear and memorabilia. But remember, someday, some piece of it may be important to someone you love. And while it would be great for me to able to see my first pair of skis, I think it's the small things, like those patches, that can tell an even bigger story. They don't take up much space, but they're packed with memories.</p><P>So keep taking photos, even when the kids are grown. And the next time you buy a pin, a ski-town sweater or some postcards or patches on your ski trip, think about holding on to them for the long haul. You never know who one day might be looking through your stuff. </p>
http://www.skinet.com/skiing/resorts/rockies/wyoming/2004/02/family-treasures#commentsbreckenridgejackson holereport cardsski areaWyomingskiing8604http://www.skinet.com/skiing/http://www.skinet.com/skiing/Fall Line<p>Every time I go back to New York City to visit my folks, it seems that they're in the process of clearing out another corner of the basement. The parents of three grown kids, they're eager to get rid of whatever junk still remains from when the whole family lived at home.<BR /><BR />The scene is usually mayhem, with piles everywhere; I've been handed everything from boxes of report cards and teacher evaluations from the third grade to my old cheerleading uniform and pompoms. Even though looking through these old, forgotten items always tugs at fond childhood memories, when the time comes to keep or pitch, deciding is usually easy.<BR /><BR />But on my most recent visit home, I noticed a small gift box, yellowed and worn, sitting atop a bag of old clothes and blankets. My mom said it was just a pile of useless stuff that she was donating to the local thrift shop. For some reason, I was drawn to the little gift box. When I opened it, I was surprised to find antique ski patches that my parents had collected from places like Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen and Jackson Hole—exotic, wild frontier towns to an East Coast kid decades earlier. The patches, 25 to 30 years old and still sealed in their original packaging, were beautiful in every way, from their sense of history to their design to their muted colors.<BR /><BR />Glad to rescue these treasures, I realized how special it is to hold on to a small piece of my family's skiing history. I also realized we don't usually pass down old ski items, as we would a silver serving platter or an antique sideboard. But we should. Skiing has been a part of my family for many years, starting when my parents were in their 30s and began taking night lessons at Stonypoint, a two-chair ski area in upstate New York, a few hours away from their home in Brooklyn. They left my two older brothers (I wasn't born yet) with the grandparents and stole away with friends for burgers and some quick runs. "We only had a few hours before we had to head back home, my dad says. </p><P>My parents were quickly hooked and started taking family ski trips. The scene was classic: They'd load up the kids, the dog and some secondhand gear in the station wagon and chug up to the hills. Mount Snow, Vt., was their favorite trip. </p><P>By the time I came along and was ready to ski, eight or so years down the road, my family had started skiing in the West. I have lots of memories from that time. One of my favorite, most vivid ones is from Steamboat Springs, Colo., when I was 7 or 8. My parents enrolled me in all-day ski school, and on this occasion of being set free from their supervision for the first time, I remember waving goodbye with no fear. And as I rode up to the top of the mountain, I thought I had reached the sky.</p><P>This all came back to me when I found the patches in the basement, and I suddenly became aware that I hadn't thought much about my ski roots or considered what an important part of my family history they are. I felt connected, but also a bit sad as I wondered where all my equipment and clothes and ski knickknacks had gone over the years. Whatever happened to my favorite goggles (rumor has it that I always wore them in the house) or the fluffy white muff that I used to warm my hands?</p><P>I know some things were passed on to younger relatives, but a lot of stuff undoubtedly hit the trash. My family does have some early photographs and some old home videos of my brothers and me skiing at Jackson Hole on our first big Western trip, but in later years, even photos became rare.</p><P>I think this is common. As with most sports, in skiing you usually replace your equipment, or at least a piece of it, every few years. And space limitations mean there's only so much you can hold on to and store away. I can't tell you how many times I've been to garage sales and seen outdated ski equipment for sale. Just this past weekend, I dropped some donations off at Goodwill, and stacked in the corner of the receiving area were dozens of pairs of old skiss. </p><P>Where were they going? Where had they been? What stories of families skiing and kids growing up on the slopes could they tell?</p><P>I'm not much of a collector, so I'd be the last to suggest keeping every bit of ski gear and memorabilia. But remember, someday, some piece of it may be important to someone you love. And while it would be great for me to able to see my first pair of skis, I think it's the small things, like those patches, that can tell an even bigger story. They don't take up much space, but they're packed with memories.</p><P>So keep taking photos, even when the kids are grown. And the next time you buy a pin, a ski-town sweater or some postcards or patches on your ski trip, think about holding on to them for the long haul. You never know who one day might be looking through your stuff. </p>
articleFri, 13 Feb 2004 09:05:00 +0000SkiNet Editor8604 at http://www.skinet.com/skiingPerformance Anxietyhttp://www.skinet.com/skiing/ski-areas-association/2002/10/performance-anxiety?lnk=rss&loc=report-cards
<p>How green is that black run? For the first time, environmental groups will grade the West's larger ski areas -- A to F -- on how gently they treat Mother Nature. The Ski Area Environmental Scorecard is a response to <i>Sustainable Slopes,</i>the National Ski Areas Association's (NSAA) environmental charter, which has been signed by over 160 ski areas but has been criticized as "vague and unenforceable" by some environmental groups. Since then, the Ski Area Citizen's Coalition has sent out dozens of surveys to Western ski areas, querying them about everything from how they safeguard wildlife habitat to terrain expansion and home building in untouched areas. Forest Service data will also be used. NSAA sources say they don't expect the report cards to be fair.</p>
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<a href="/skiing/speed-skier/2000/12/jeff-hamilton-speed-freak">Jeff Hamilton: Speed Freak</a> </div>
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<a href="/skiing/colorado-backcountry/2002/10/risk-management">Risk Management</a> </div>
<div class="field-item odd">
<a href="/skiing/swing-turn/2002/10/burning-questions">Burning Questions</a> </div>
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<a href="/skiing/resorts/rockies/colorado/2002/10/book-em">Book &#039;Em</a> </div>
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<a href="/skiing/ski-buddies/2002/10/gift-guide">Gift Guide</a> </div>
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<a href="/skiing/weather-phenomena/2002/10/whats-next-tsunami">What&#039;s Next? Tsunami?</a> </div>
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http://www.skinet.com/skiing/ski-areas-association/2002/10/performance-anxiety#commentsdozensenvironmental charterforest servicemother naturenational ski areas associationreport cardsski areaski areas associationsustainable slopesskiing12889http://www.skinet.com/skiing/http://www.skinet.com/skiing/Vibe<p>How green is that black run? For the first time, environmental groups will grade the West's larger ski areas -- A to F -- on how gently they treat Mother Nature. The Ski Area Environmental Scorecard is a response to <i>Sustainable Slopes,</i>the National Ski Areas Association's (NSAA) environmental charter, which has been signed by over 160 ski areas but has been criticized as "vague and unenforceable" by some environmental groups. Since then, the Ski Area Citizen's Coalition has sent out dozens of surveys to Western ski areas, querying them about everything from how they safeguard wildlife habitat to terrain expansion and home building in untouched areas. Forest Service data will also be used. NSAA sources say they don't expect the report cards to be fair.</p>
<div class="field field-type-nodereference field-field-related-content">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<a href="/skiing/speed-skier/2000/12/jeff-hamilton-speed-freak">Jeff Hamilton: Speed Freak</a> </div>
<div class="field-item even">
<a href="/skiing/colorado-backcountry/2002/10/risk-management">Risk Management</a> </div>
<div class="field-item odd">
<a href="/skiing/swing-turn/2002/10/burning-questions">Burning Questions</a> </div>
<div class="field-item even">
<a href="/skiing/resorts/rockies/colorado/2002/10/book-em">Book &#039;Em</a> </div>
<div class="field-item odd">
<a href="/skiing/ski-buddies/2002/10/gift-guide">Gift Guide</a> </div>
<div class="field-item even">
<a href="/skiing/weather-phenomena/2002/10/whats-next-tsunami">What&#039;s Next? Tsunami?</a> </div>
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articleFri, 11 Oct 2002 09:10:00 +0000SkiNet Editor12889 at http://www.skinet.com/skiing